Quick Movie Review: True Story (2015)

Jonah Hill plays Michael Finkel--a journalist who has just been fired from the New York Times due to a flub in one of his stories. Meanwhile Christian Longo, played by James Franco, is accused of murdering his wife and kids. And although the two haven't met, Longo tells the police that he is Michael Finkel of the New York Times. Finkel hears of this and writes to Longo to request that the two meet. For the span of the movie, we--along with Finkel--are trying to figure out if Longo is guilty or innocent.

At the core of every film based on a true story is the reason for making it. Some want to tell the life events of a notable person. Others want to tell of a unique and interesting real-life scenario. But the story of True Story really isn't that unique. The most interesting part is the identity-claiming of Longo, but that is forgotten about one-third of the way through the film.

At the heart of True Story are filmmakers who wish to paint a picture of Finkel and Longo's relationship. It keeps us in the dark to maintain its mystery, but there is definitely second agenda.

One thing that doesn't really work is that the writers try too hard not to stray from Finkel's book, which the film is based on. Finkel doesn't find out how the murders happen by the time he finishes his book, so neither do we. We keep feeling like we are kept in the dark and soon realize that the film is stretching very few events into a full-length feature. At times, the filmmakers try so hard to be true to the source that they forget the film's purpose.

And possibly the biggest issue is the acting. You have three Academy Award nominees and none of them bring any character to the film. Two of the three (Hill and Felicity Jones who plays Finkel's wife) might give their worst career performances. Franco does a decent job as Longo, but is caught acting a lot. And every time Franco and Hill interact it feels like one of them is about to break character and crack a joke.

What works is the relationship between the two leads. It makes for good character study and provides a nice subplot to the murder mystery.

Regardless of everything bad you have to say about this film, it was creepy enough and mysterious enough to make me to like it. The entertainment value is high. It's just that the necessity of the film is low.

Twizard Rating: 83

Quick Movie Review: The Interview (2014)

Amidst the controversy of a film that was more famous prior to its release than Star Wars VII, you sort of have a fear in anticipation of seeing this movie. Will they find me and kill me for purchasing a ticket? Am I contributing to an act of war? Maybe I'm just paranoid. Nonetheless I'm glad I decided to take the risk.

Seth Rogen sure knows how to stay relevant. Part of that reason is the fact that he still refuses to sit back and become complacent. No. He still takes risks with comedy and with his career. And it's never been more evident than with his current piece of work. He, partnered with Evan Goldberg, loves asking "what if?" while answering it just as eloquently.

Besides it's edgy nature--as we all know the general plot--this film eventually moves beyond predictable, down a rabbit hole where anything could be at the bottom.

It's not so much of a political commentary because they're telling us everything we already know, but it's the smartest film they have written to date. Their maturity level goes up another notch. They tone down the potty humor in favor of a much smarter straight-man/banana-man schtick.

And it's the most consistently funny comedy that I've seen in awhile--along the lines of Jonah Hill's 21 Jump Street adaptation. What's typical with films of this genre is that the 1st act usually fills itself with rapid fire jokes, while the rest of the film focuses more on story and less on humor (e.g. Dumb and Dumber or Caddyshack). But The Interview manages to keep you laughing AND equally engaged in the unpredictable story at the same time.

There's not a lot that doesn't work. Maybe we could see some better character growth, but when it comes down to it we don't feel robbed of anything as the credits roll.

Rogen and Goldberg definitely have a knack for good ideas, and it's clear through their direction of this film. They take chances with the action and they're never afraid to ask each other, "What if we [blank]?" They outdid themselves, as this is their best piece of work yet.

Twizard Rating: 95